Real spark for Tibet's riots

I have come across video of a news article by BBC reporter Quentin Sommerville of a peaceful sit down protest at the Drepung Monastery on 10/11 March
2008 which Chinese security forces waded into with batons and shields.

It was this and not the Dalai Lama, nor the CIA who started the rioting in Tibet. The break up of a peaceful demonstration with force turned ugly and
a few days later spread to other centres.

Senior monks are visible in the video trying to calm the situation, but younger monks enraged by the arrest of one of their members start throwing
stones.

I was tired of the false accusations and blame being thrown around. Chinese commentators here suggest that it was all orchestrated by the CIA or Dalai
Lama. They suggest that it came out of nowhere.

Clearly it is embarrassing to admit that the Tibetans were actually peacefully protesting against China's invasion at their own monastery when it
started.

At the begining of the video you can see smiling monks sitting down. Then you see secret police plucking monks from the 40-50 strong crowd, with a
line of riot police behind shields past the secret police.

It is clear then that the later violent riots in Lhasa (which is near the Drepung monastery) spread spontaneously.

It would only be the CIA if the monks had Stinger missiles and AK 47 assault rifles. The CIA does not believe in peaceful protests.

Ha ha good one Deltaboy.

Yeah Witness 2008 I had not seen the whole of that video you provided. I saw a different video played on CNN where a Tibetan in another town to the
north was interviewed and he said in English pretty much the same thing.

On another thread one of the Chinese commentators suggested it wasn't about freedom from Chinese rule. It was (they say) about economic discontent.
That is clearly then the party line being fed to the rest of the Chinese population.

The Chinese Government can't loose face admitting that they were really sparked by a protest against the 1949 invasion because modern Chinese have
never been taught that history.

The Drepung sit down protest was apparently sparked by even earlier arrests in February when some monks participating in the traditional Monlam
Festival were arrested for shouting out Long Live the Dalai Lama.

Originally posted by sy.gunson
The Drepung sit down protest was apparently sparked by even earlier arrests in February when some monks participating in the traditional Monlam
Festival were arrested for shouting out Long Live the Dalai Lama.

Tibet.com?. What makes that report more believable than any other bias news?

These "peaceful" Tibetan protesters in Belgium were also just shouting out "Long Live the Dalai Lama" and were nothing close to peaceful.

NYPD doing exactly the same thing on the 16th of this month to "peaceful" protestors. Some people dont understand that its STANDARD police
procedures and they somehow think they can do anything they like.

"The new testimonies gathered by Tibet Watch confirms our fears of a growing repression in Gansu Province" said Yael Weisz-Rind of Free Tibet
Campaign. "The picture portrayed is of a renewed effort by China to crackdown on freedom of religion and freedom of expression, across Tibet, target
monks and nuns and intensify its 'patriotic education campaign' in monasteries".

Two of the nuns, Tadrin Tsomo and Choekyi Drolma, and one of the monks, Dargye Gyatso, were all sentenced to three years imprisonment. The third nun,
Yonten Drolma (earlier reported as Yonten Tsomo, lay name: Dukarkyi), and the second monk, Jamyang Samdrub, were both sentenced to one and a half
years imprisonment. Details reveal that Yonten Drolma and Choekyi Drolma were arrested on their way from the nunnery to Labrang town, Tamdrin Tsomo's
arrest took place at her home and Dargye Gyatso was arrested in his room in the monastery. Circumstances surrounding Jamyang Samdrub's arrest are
still unclear. (2)

So China White are you now attacking the rights of westerners to express themselves in their own countries ?

During diplomatic visits to New Zealand our government suppresses protests against China, so in fact China is a threat not only to freedom of speech
in China and Tibet, but also seeks to restrict free speech outside it's borders through trade pressure.

I think it's time we in the west applied some trade pressure back on China with boycotts against Chines goods.

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